Resolution condemning violence in Charlottesville heads to Trump

Congress unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday, putting the pressure on President Trump to recognize the violence in Charlottesville, V.A., last month as a “domestic terror attack” and take an active role in addressing the prevalence of hate groups in the country.

The resolution, which was passed unanimously in the Senate on Monday before it won unanimous approval in the House on Tuesday, will land on Trump’s desk as it awaits his signature.

The president was widely criticized by officials across the political spectrum after he responded to the violence that claimed the life of 32-year-old counter-protester Heather Heyer and said there was blame on “both sides”.

The resolution is seen as an effort to force Trump to condemn the “racist violence” in Charlottesville in stronger terms,

Charlottesville car ramming attack victim Heather Heyer in a photo heading her GoFundMe page. Heyer was killed when James Fields rammed his car into her and others on August 12, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia, during a white supremacist rally and counter-protest.

(GoFundMe)

It also declares Heyer’s death the result of a “domestic terrorist attack” and calls White nationalism, white supremacy, and neo-Nazism “contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States.”

Congress urged Trump to speak out against hate groups and use “all resources available” to address their growing prevalence in the country.

The resolution calls for the attorney general to cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security secretary to investigate “all acts of violence, intimidation and domestic terrorism” from far-right groups and monitor and improve the process of reporting hate crimes.